With over 50 years of combined experience, you can be that the lawyers at Strauss Law Group know a thing or two about California law. Below are those areas of practice that we have come to know intimately, and to which we regularly devote our time and expertise. For more information about any of these practice areas, click on the heading. A separate page will have FAQs and an explanation of the most common types of cases we see. Enjoy!

Employment Litigation

Discrimination Lawsuits

Discrimination takes many forms: race, sex, gender, pregnancy, disability, language, religion, to name a few. California and federal laws protect employees from discrimination in the workplace. Strauss Law Group regularly represents clients -- businesses and individuals alike -- in discrimination lawsuits. The stakes can be high: employees who experience discrimination can sometimes win enormous awards in court. Follow this link to learn more about how California and federal laws protect employees from on-the-job discrimination.

Wrongful Termination Lawsuits

Like discrimination, wrongful or illegal terminations are far too common in the modern work environment. They can occur in many situations: in retaliation for someone speaking up about workplace discrimination, after an employee is injured on the job, or when an employee discloses that she is pregnant. The list is almost endless. Find out more about wrongful termination lawsuits and what employees and employers need to know.

Hostile Work Environment Lawsuits

The two types of hostile work environments we see most are either sexual or racial in nature. Sexually hostile work environments generally involve repeated comments or touching of a sexual nature. Racially hostile work environments usually entail repeated, daily comments about an employee's race. Either way, they are terrible for employers and the employees that have to suffer through them. Strauss Law Group has compiled frequently asked questions about hostile work environments, and we invite you to learn about them in more detail.

Government Contractor Lawsuits

Government Contractors face a multitude of employment law issues. Their liability can extend to acts committed against their employees by government employees. And the dual employment doctrine can ensure that the contractor can be liable for its employees that are completely embedded with the government. However, Strauss Law Group has experience defending government contractors by employing little-known defenses, including the Federal Enclave Doctrine and the Federal Officer Immunity Doctrine. Most lawyers that practice employment law may know nothing about these defenses, but you can learn more about them in our page dedicated to government contractor lawsuits.

Overtime Wage Claims/Lawsuits

By far the most common type of complaint we see is for unpaid overtime. Employers in California just seem to have the hardest time executing the state's overtime rules correctly. The result is that their employees are often mis-classified as "exempt," which means that they can go years without getting any overtime. Luckily for employees, California law can let you go back as many as four years to collect overtime wages owed. Strauss Law Group explains California and federal overtime laws and more in its overtime FAQ page.

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Employment Law

Employee Handbooks

Strauss Law Group has been preparing employee handbooks for its business clients for decades. We have found that employee handbooks go a long way toward protecting employers from liability from discrimination, wrongful termination, and overtime lawsuits. What is more, employee handbooks can serve as guides for employers on how they should treat their employees; hence, they help ensure that employers never cross the line and violate California or federal laws. Learn more about employee handbooks here.

Employment Law Workplace Audits

Some businesses try very hard to be in compliance with California's strict workplace laws, but often the best way to ensure compliance is to have seasoned experts audit your policies. Strauss Law Group has been providing this service to its clients for a long time. Learn more about our employment law workplace audits.

Employment-Related Contracts

Employment contracts can be a necessity in this day and age. Strauss Law Group has decades of experience drafting employment contracts and other employment-related agreements, such as arbitration agreements, covenants not to compete, employee handbooks, and non-disclosure agreements. Learn about these employment-related contracts in our FAQ section.

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Business Litigation

Securities Fraud Lawsuits

Securities fraud lawsuits have increased in number over the last few years. They involve fraudulent activity in connection with the purchase or sale of securities, or shares in a public or close corporation. Strauss Law Group knows the ins and outs of securities fraud lawsuits -- how to win them and how to successfully defend them. Learn more about securities fraud lawsuits here.

Unfair Competition/Misleading Advertising Lawsuits

With quick and easy access to information at a push of a button, charges of unfair competition, which includes misleading advertising, are on the rise in California. Whether it is someone who is undercutting his competitors by underpaying his employees or a business that publishes untrue statements about their products in public to get more customers, unfair competition is just that -- unfair. Learn more about how California law regulates unfair competition in our FAQ section.

Americans with Disibilities Act Compliance Lawsuits

You have all heard the story by now. Someone goes from business to business inspecting their stairways, bathrooms, and other public areas, simply looking for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. One small violation can lead to thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars in fines and repairs. Strauss Law Group has been defending businesses thoughout California in these ADA compliance suits for years. See what we have compiled from our lengthy experience in our Americans with Disbilities Act FAQ page.

Breach of Contract Lawsuits

The most common type of business lawsuit in today's world is the straight-forward breach of contract. Strauss Law Group knows exactly how to win -- and defeat -- breach of contract claims. Read about breach of contract cases in our FAQ section.

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Real Estate Litigation

Failure to Disclose Defects at Sale Lawsuits

Real estate fraud is on the rise. Often, the most prevalent type is the failure by a seller to disclose known defects in the condition of real property prior to its sale. The effect can be a buyer who inherits, at no fault of her own, a house that is not worth anything close to what she paid for it. Learn how you can protect yourself from being a victim or perpetrator of a failure to disclose defects case at our FAQ page.

Fraudulent Concealment of Unpermitted Work Lawsuits

County permitting agencies need extra cash right now. So it is no surprise that they are ramping up efforts to catch homeowners who have done unpermitted work to their residence. While this can be a problem for many, a bigger problem is when a seller does not disclose that he did unpermitted work to his house. The buyer then finds out that not only does she have to rip out the unpermitted work, but she has to pay a fine to the permitting agency. Learn more about fraudulent concealment of unpermitted work lawsuits here.

Mortgage Fraud Lawsuits

It seems like everyone in Southern California caught the real estate investment bug. Now that home prices have been halved, buyers are learning that they could not have afforded their house in the first place. Oftentimes, the fault lies with the lender who approved these individuals for their loans. See what you can do about preventing, and seeking relief from, mortgage fraud lawsuits here.

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Other Practice Areas

Disability Retirements for Public Employees

Strauss Law Group devotes a substantial amount of its time handling disability retirement cases for public employees. These clients are usually employed by Ventura, Santa Barbara, or Los Angeles Counties, and they are no longer able to work. If their inability to work is a work-related injury (even possibly including stress), it may be possible for them to get a "service-connected" disability retirement. If the injury is non-work-related, but the individual is still unable to work as a result, they may be eligible for a "non-service-connected" disability retirement. The benefit of either of these two types of retirements is that the injured employee may be able to receive long-term benefits. Read more about what is possible to obtain for injured public employees in our page dedicated to disability retirements.

EDD (Unemployment) Hearings

California employees who lose their job may be eligible for unemployment benefits. However, many employers fight over whether the employee should receive unemployment. These fights occur at EDD (Unemployment) hearings. Strauss Law Group has been representing employers and employees at EDD hearings for years, and we have compiled our FAQs on EDD/unemployment hearings here.

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